Illuminated name plate and electrical push button



P 1 L. LUDWIG 2 2313 ILLUMINATED NAME PLATE AND ELECTRICAL PUSH BUTTON Filed Feb. 9, 194.0

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUMINATED NAME PLATE AND ELECTRI- CAL PUSH BUTTON Louis Ludwig, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 9, 1940, Serial No. 318,089

'2 Claims.

This invention relatesto name plates and electrical push buttons usually placed at the front doors of dwellings.

Among the objects of the invention are: To provide a small, compact unit housing, a transparent or translucent electrical push button, a translucent namecard, an electric lamp mounted to directly illuminate both the name card and the push button, simple compact mountings for the electrical connections and the push button spring, a simple tight mounting for the name card easily inserted and removed thru a slot in the side of the housing, which is formed preferably of translucent or opaque material, moldable as an integral unit, with screw apertured bosses or pillars also integral with the housing for mounting the parts in the housing and the housing itself tightly and securely on a panel of the door.

The parts are so positioned and arranged that the housing assemblage is facilely made from the open rear side and the electric lamp is so mounted that it is directly insertable and replaceable from the open rear side of the housing, as also the electrical terminal connections.

. The device is not only simple, compact, durable,

and attractive in appearance but is also capable of production at low manufacturing cost.

Reference is made to the drawing which shows one embodiment of the invention and in which- Figure 1 is a front view.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is a. rear view.

Figure 4 is an end view.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure (1' is a section. on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a section on the line '!---1 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is an enlarged section similar to Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a section on line 'l--'! of Figure 1 but only thru the push button.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the name plate frame.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing a housing l0, formed of opaque or translucent moldable material, has a substantially fiat front wall of rectangular outline and four side walls perpendicular thereto, the bottoms of which are adapted to engage a fiat panel at the side of a door and to space the front wall forwardly of the panel. At each corner is a pillar l I apertured for a wood screw (not shown) to secure the housing It to the flat panel at each corner. A screw-apertured pillar 12 projects from the rear of the front wall at the upper left corner as shown in. Figure 7 and two diagonally opposed screW-apertured pillars 13 pro ject from the rear of the front wall below the center. There is a rectangular aperture ll in and extending substantially across the front wall of the housing It]. A flat ledge l4 and inside and below said ledge 14 a second fiat ledge [5, which are broken centrally of the opposite top and bottom sides by recesses 16 in the front Wall, border the aperture H which is closed in the assemblage by a name card 24. An inside bead l8 projects inwardly of the front wall of the housing I0 and reinforces the front wall around the aperture I I. Centrally of and below the center of the front wall of the, housing is an aperture 19 for mounting the push button.

Around the bottoms of the side walls of the housing It) is an inset ledge 2| and in the center of each end at the bottom is a recess 22 for access of a screw driver to remove an insulating sheet 44.. The name plate assemblage 23 includes a translucent card 24 with a name imprinted thereon in black and cut to suitable size. A rectangular piece of Celluloid 25 is folded over a medial line and the card 24 is inserted therebetween and the name plate assemblage 23 is placed on the ledge l5 over the aperture I! so that the top of the assemblage is in the plane of the ledge l4. A rectangular metal plate frame 26 is placed on the ledge 14 over the peripheral edge of the strong, three-ply name-plate assemblage 23 with cars 21 which project rearwardly on opposite sides extending thru the recesses 16 and bent away from the aperture I! and under the bead l8 to securely lock the frame 26 on the front wall of the housing 10 so that the top of the assemblage 23 lies in the plane of the flat front wall of the housing.

At one end of the name plate frame 26 a slot 30 is provided by cutting away the ledge 14 so that the top of the ledge 15 extends outwardly to the outside of the housing It thereby providing a passage for the insertion or removal of the name card assemblage 23.

A metal bracket 28 has a flat apertured end which is secured by a screw 29 on the flat apertured inner end of the pillar l2 and has a curved end which is secured to a cylindrical metal sockst for the lamp 3|, the electric lamp 3| being mounted detachably in the socket 33 directly behind the name card 24 by a bayonet slot connection 32. .One insulated wire 34 (Fig. 3) is soldered at one end at 34' on the socket 33 and the other end is secured to the terminal 4|. A similar insulated wire 40 has one end entering the top of the socket 33 and connected with the central terminal of the lamp 3| and the other end connected with the terminal 39. An electric bell (not shown), a transformer (not shown), and the lamp 3| are connected in series thru terminals 39, 4|. The wires 34, 40 connect the terminals with those of the lamp 3|.

A push button 35, formed of tenite, glass or some translucent material, has at the bottom a lateral flange 36 which engages the inside of the front wall around the aperture l9. A stud 3T centrally of the rear wall of the button 35 contacts a switch spring 38 which holds the button 35 in an outward position normally and which is connected with one terminal screw 39. When the button 35 is pushed inwardly the opposite end of the spring 38 contacts the other terminal screw 4| and closes an electric circuit thru the usual wiring (not shown). The screws 39 and 4| are mounted on an insulating plate 42 which is held on the inner flat ends of the pillars l3 by screws 43 about half way between the front and rear of the housing Hi. It is obvious that the above-described assemblage is made from the open back of the housing H), and when completed a water and dust proof paper insulating back 44 is positioned on, the ledge 2| and the electrical Wiring passed thru a suitable aperture therein when the housing I is mounted on the panel near the door. To replace the lamp 3| or the name card 24; in the former case the housing I0 is removed and the end of a screw driver is inserted in the recesses 22 to pry loose the back 44; in the latter case the assemblage is pulled out the end slot 30 being started if needed with any suitable point applied inside the frame 26 to the Celluloid 25. The lamp 3| is normally operative but when the push button 35 is pressed the lamp is shorted.

In the alternative or supplemental way of securing the housing 10 on a fiat panel, apertured lugs or bosses and 52 are formed integrally with the inside side walls of the housing In, diagonally disposed with reference to the nameplate assemblage 23 and lying thereunder. By slipping out the assemblage 23 wood screws (not shown) may be inserted thru the aperture into the lugs 5| and 52 to lock the housing ID on a panel. The insertion of the assemblage 23 covers up the screw heads and conceals them from mischievous boys and others.

Having shown and described one embodiment of the invention and realizing that, in view of my disclosure, many changes or omissions of parts, substitutions of parts and changes of material or form will readily occur to those skilled in the art, I do not limit myself to the exact forms shown.

I claim:

1. An illuminated name plate comprising in combination, a housing having means for attachment on a fiat panel at a door and having a front wall and four side walls, means on the front wall for supporting a name plate thereon, an aperture in the front wall, said means com prising a narrow ledge on the peripheral wall of said aperture, a second narrow ledge within and below said first ledge, a name card mounted on said second ledge over the aperture, opposite recesses intercepting the ledges, and a rectangular frame having opposite ears projecting rear- Wards, said frame resting on said first ledge and over the name plate and said ears lying in said recesses and bent back under the side walls of the aperture.

2. An illuminated name plate comprising in combination, a housing having means for attachment on a flat panel at a door and having a front wall and four side walls, means on the front Wall for supporting a name plate thereon, an aperture in the front wall, said means comprising a narrow ledge on the peripheral wall of said aperture, a second narrow ledge within and below said first ledge, a name card mounted on said second ledge over the aperture, opposite recesses intercepting the ledges, and a rectangular frame having opposite ears projecting rearwards, said frame resting on said first ledge and over the name plate and said ears lying in said recesses and bent back under the side walls of the aperture, and said first ledge being cut away to the level of the second ledge at one end I 

